The Burning Flame
by BamboozledChickadee
Summary: They didn't know I existed a week ago. Now I am a bedtime story for children who love heroes. I am a legend, and most people don't know my past. They all think that my life was perfect. They are all wrong. Pairings: Leo/OC, and all of the original pairings in the actual books/movie
1. Chapter 1

It all started at the only store in our small town. The sun was hidden behind a dark cloud, and I was standing by the huge window at the front of the store.

"Ella, get to work!" My boss yelled. I sighed and walked over to the cash register, and then I popped some gum into my mouth.

"I said to work, not to stand there and chew gum!" She yelled again. This store barely ever has customers, so why should I work? I rolled my eyes and started to unload boxes. I spotted my notepad, it was filled with rules that I had made for myself.

**Rules**

**1. Never give them information**

**2. Don't develop feelings**

**3. Don't trust anyone**

**4. Never fall in love**

**5. Run**

My life was totally boring, other than the fact that I was abandoned in a corn field, and found by a farmer. To top it off, the farmer found me surrounded by _flames, _my nickname then became Ella Flame. The farmer couldn't keep me, so he dropped me off at the grocery store and left. The store manager (A.K.A. The person who was pestering me) took me in and I've been here ever since. To know why I don't show my gifts, although I say it is a curse, we would have to go back in time.

The first time I messed up was when I was one year old. My mother was having a party, every now and then she would boast about her twin baby girls. She would never mention my white streaks or the fact that our hair was as red as a fire truck. While someone was about to reach in, my finger ignited a small flame, and my mother went nuts. She thought that the man that was reaching into the crib had been the one to set my finger ablaze. When she extinguished the flame, my finger was perfectly fine. That was the day the curse had found me.

Day after day, I tried my best to be the good little daughter. The thing is, if you weren't meant to be, you weren't meant to be. Every time I lost my temper, my hair or hands set themselves aflame. You can't trust anything, or anyone, and I may be the only one that learns it the hard way.

The last time I was considered normal was before my hand lit on fire while my teacher was teaching us the alphabet in preschool. After that, I wasn't allowed out in public, my mother thought I was a spawn of Satan. She moved my room to the attic, as if she was telling me that I didn't belong. A five-year-old girl shouldn't have to be an outsider.

My sister being the only one that understood, she showed me something one day. She led me to her room, closed the door, and sat on the bed. Then she had opened her palm, a small flame popping up. Unlike my flames, hers seemed controlled. I had explained to her that when I did manage to create a flame, I couldn't control it. Day after day, every minute after Kathrine got home from school, she would help me try to control the flames. One day, waiting for my twin to come home, there was a house on fire next door. I raced down the stairs and out the door. The flames were shooting out of the entrances to the house as the firemen tried to go in.

"My daughter is in there! You have to save her!" I had heard someone cry. I raced in without thinking, just as the flames shot out, but the flames didn't hurt me. The smoke didn't choke me, the flames didn't touch me, and they seemed to stay away from me. As I raced up the dissolving stairs, I heard crying coming from a door right on top of the stairs. I swung the door open as I reached it. In the small room there was a small girl about my age covered in soot, I grabbed her hand and ran for the front door. We raced out the door just as the house collapsed. I didn't notice that I had no soot on me until the firemen decided to examine me with the young girl. When the fireman examining me asked why I didn't have any burns, I ran off into my house and up to the attic.

I told my mother and sister at dinner about me saving the girl. My mistake was telling mother. She sent me to the attic, but she took us on a camping trip the next day. We were there all weekend, having so much fun, and then we left the campsite. My mother stopped about halfway home, on the side of the road by a corn field. She told Kathrine to stay in the car as she took my hand and led me into the middle of the corn field. She left me there, and glared at me when I tried to follow. A ring of fire formed around me as she drove away, never looking back.

There was no way to measure my sadness over the years; I had put a steel cage around my heart and memories. Being ten years old now, I had sealed it tight, at least until the time was right.

I stared at the cash register, and I wondered what made it tick. My mind was racing because part of me wanted to disassemble it, and another part reminded me that it wasn't mine. Thinking this reminded me of taking apart my iPod and the lawn mower when I was four. I had loved to read about Greek mythology, and I had always joked with my sister that I was a daughter of Hephaestus. Maybe I was, or maybe I'm just a freak, but I don't want to spend my life waiting for an answer. Besides, eventually, the shop owner would abandon me, just like all the others. No one wants a freak.

"Ella! There are some people here to see you!" My guardian called. I walked over to see a man with an eye patch, and a girl with red hair.

"Ella Locke, please come with us" The man ordered.

"How do you know my name?" I demanded.

"We have researched you for years, the first real article was at a burning mansion" The girl replied. I noticed how relaxed she was and I knew right away to watch her closely.

"So you know me from some article, why is that so special?" I asked, trying to prolong my capture.

"We know of your powers and that you ran away" The man said.

"Liar! I was abandoned! This is my third home, and most likely not my last!" I screamed. My guardian gasped, I guess I never told her anything; it was for her own good.

"Who told you that lie?" I seethed.

"Your mother" The girl replied. I was ready to blow my top at that revealing detail. My mother abandoned me, and then said I ran away. I didn't realize my hands were flaming until the fire alarm went off and water rained down. The red head raised an eyebrow at my flaming hands that refused to go out. My guardian screamed and ran out of the building. Great...another disappointment...

"You're coming with us" Eye patch man ordered.

"Not likely" I snorted. The man sighed, probably really annoyed with me. That was when I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I looked down to see an arrow sticking out, and my leg collapsed beneath me.

"You have no choice in the matter. Since you fought your capture, we won't even treat you to a nice place to live" The man snarled.

"Before you strip me of all rights, can I know your name?" I grimaced.

"Fury" He said before everything went black.

"Do you want a disguise to go out there, or do you want to be yourself?" A man said, taking me out of my stupor. I came up with a very smart answer,

"Uhmmmmah". I looked to the man as he furrowed his brow.

"I guess I'll give you the purple wig" He decided. I was lifted up and pushed on a stage by the time I came to my senses. I seriously freaked out when I saw how many people were in front of me, waiting for me to mess up. There was a girl in front who looked like a snow goddess, with her white hair and blue furry coat. When her eyes glanced at me, I saw an unforgiving, cold, and bitter soul. She seemed to be sending me a message through her glance, but I apparently couldn't read minds. That was when I saw the ice.

It was a warm day, so I didn't expect to see ice creeping at the back of the crowd, with each second it covered a person in ice. Somehow, I knew the snow-girl was behind it. She stared at me still, as if waiting for me to realize something. Then, black cars swerved up to the stage. My purple wig was starting to smoke.

"Ella Flame, it is time to go to court" Fury said as he got out.

"Okay, why do I have to go to court, you're the one who kidnapped me" I spat.

Fury glanced at Miss. Snow Goddess before saying, "You have no choice".

That moment, I snapped. My hair flamed up, turning my wig to ashes, and my hands where covered in flames. One thing I didn't know was that my eyes were now flames as well. I guess I might have looked like a demon, but I had an excuse. They were making me angry. The girl in front of me started to look faint, as if my heat was killing her.

"Ella Flame, cool down!" The girl pleaded before she fainted. All of my flames wouldn't go out, I tried so many times, but they refused. That was when the stage caved in.

I looked above me and found that there was no hole in which I fell through.

"It was a portal, a last resort" A voice echoed across the cavern. The girl who fainted at the stage walked out of the shadows, she looked quite sick, most likely from the recent events.

"I'm Shimmer, I received information from my friend, and she said that you would be a huge part of the world's last chance" Shimmer reported.

"What's so important about me?" I asked in confusion.

"You are from a long line of people that have a certain curse. This curse gives you power that could save the world, if used wisely" Shimmer replied.

"So, I destroy everything I touch, and you think that I can save the world!?" I said incredulously.

"The last of the line would be immortal, and with a twin sister that has the same ability, yet she is without the curse of the Burning Flame" She informed.

"The Burning Flame?" I questioned. She nodded.

"Look at the inscriptions on the wall, what do you see?"

"Ancient Greek language" I said, wondering what it said until all of the letters started to burn.

"What does it say?" Shimmer said with a smile.

"Ella Flame, The Burning Flame" I blurted. Where did that come from? I noticed that covering all the walls was the same Greek letters.

"Ella Flame, you are the girl many children hear in stories, you are the heroine with a horrible past. You are the Burning Flame."


	2. Chapter 2

"I never thought I could be the hero" I muttered.

"You have to go back, it is the way of fate" She reminded me.

"How?" I asked.

"Follow to the end of the tunnel, let Fury take you, we will meet again" Shimmer told me. Looking back one last time, I walked down the tunnel, and into the portal.

As soon as I stepped out of the portal, twenty men with guns surrounded me.

"You forgot to invite me to the party, I guess that you don't permit party crashers" I remarked sarcastically. Fury stepped forward, looking me up and down.

"Time to go to court" He muttered. I frowned, and then I held out my wrists.

"Go ahead, take me away" I sighed. He clipped on the handcuffs and led me to a car.

The car ride wasn't too long, but they treated me like a true criminal. One guy watched me a little weirdly, so I breathed a little fire out of my mouth. As the guy tried to get out of the moving car, I smiled. That was when the door opened and I was dragged into the court room.

"Case 103, Ella Locke, accused of murder" The judge announced as he threw down the mallet.

"I didn't murder anyone!" I shouted while standing up.

"I have evidence that supports the accusing" He boomed in reply. The judge pulled out a remote and pushed on the button. A TV in the middle of the room flickered to life. It showed the one thing that I had wanted to forget, the very reason I was abandoned. The tape only caught me coming out and running out of the burning mansion, with the little girl in tow.

I sat down, and with a sorrowful voice I said, "I didn't kill her, I saved her, and I didn't start the fire either. I am innocent."

The judge whispered to his second in command, soon the man stood up, and walked over to Fury. His shoes were loud against the marble floor, the whole room quiet without him. He bent over and whispered, Fury's face looking more annoyed with each second. By the end, Fury nodded, and the man strolled across the floor, giving a solemn nod to the judge.

"Attention! We have decided Ella Locke's fate to being sent to the Wilderness School in Nevada. All who are in favor, please raise your hand" The judge ordered. As soon as he said the last word, everyone raised their hands. "It's unanimous, Ella Locke will be sent to the Wilderness School immediately."

"Let go of me!" I screamed as two huge men grabbed me by my arms. I was about to flame it up, except a needle with a glowing red liquid was injected in me. Perhaps I fell asleep, maybe I was just dead for a while, but I didn't wake up until we got to the school.

The same men tried to drag me out, with handcuffs around my wrists. They should've kept me asleep. I felt my hands start to smolder, start to burn. The men carrying me didn't notice until it was too late. Their faces were covered in soot and they were on the ground with wide eyes. Walking over to the moaning bodies, I scooped up the key and stuck it in the keyhole. The cuffs crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

I then looked to the students of the school, who were in a stupor. The way they stared at me was…scary, like the way a mad scientist looks at his new experiment.

"Who are you?" An overweight man with a baseball bat questioned.

"I am your new student, according to the court" I replied with a smile.

"Fine, just find a buddy and get on the bus, we're going on a field trip" He announced.

A boy came up to me, he was smiling like a mad man, and he asked, "Wanna be my partner?"

I sighed and replied in a simple "Okay."

The bus was like any school bus; my new partner said his name was Leo. I furrowed my eyebrows as he started to fiddle with things that seemed to be nuts and bolts. For a moment, I flashed back to the time when I took apart the lawn mower.

"Why are you fumbling with nuts and bolts?" I asked, letting my important guard down.

"I'm ADHD, it keeps me busy. Why are you twiddling your thumbs?" He replied.

"I'm…I'm ADHD too, I am very good at building things, especially iPods. I can disassemble about anything as well," I confessed.

"Cool! Same here, except for the iPod thing, I can't afford them. Are your parents rich or something?" He asked with a goofy grin.

All the blood drained from my face, I then replied in a small voice, "I was abandoned, I never knew my father. My mother hated me."

I was on the verge of tears, scolding myself for opening up. A brick wall is hard to build back up when it is broken down.

He looked down with a frown on his face, and he said, "My mother is dead, I never knew my father either."

"Guess we're not that different" I commented, trying to brighten up the mood.

For the rest of the ride, we were completely silent, I for one decided to tune everything out. Once we were there, I marveled at the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Even though my mother had taken us on many vacations, we never went to this natural ravine. Walking out of the bus, a boy came up to the girl who was named Piper. He had this really bright smile, but what he was asked made Piper glare at him. It resulted in him leading her into the museum with his arm on her shoulder. Perhaps it was time to listen to the people, even if they were snickering behind my back about my strange hair.

"Hey, new girl, where did you get your hair dyed?" One guy questioned.

"I know where, I believe she got it dyed at the circus!" Another suggested

"Shut your mouth before I turn you to ashes," I growled.

"It's not like you really can, Ella Lame," He teased.

I turned around with my hair flaming, and I said, "You think I can't?"

They turned around with wide eyes, heading for the nearest bathroom. I turned around with a smile. Leo had wide eyes, like he just realized I was a freak.

"It's just better for both of us if you don't speak a word about me and never talk to me again," I said to Leo.

"You were right, we're not that different," He said before walking next to a kid named Jason.

"One thing we don't have in common," I whispered, "is the secrets beneath our lies."

By the time I had my feelings hidden and a wall around my fragile heart, we were outside. The coach said something about worksheets while I walked over to Leo and Jason. I noticed the dark storm clouds overhead, also noticing other people were looking at them too.

"This can't be safe." Leo squinted at the clouds. "Storm's right over us, but it's clear all the way around. Weird, huh?"

"Good, I thought it was just my imagination. Figuring I was too scared to imagine something better than my life, it is simply impossible for me to imagine this." I commented, scaring both of the boys. "What? Am I no longer worthy of talking to you?" I joked.

Leo started to laugh, followed by a comment, "Oh, you are worthy; it's just us who aren't worthy of you."

"Really? Am I that awesome and cool?" I questioned sarcastically. We all laughed, although our fun didn't last too long. The clouds seemed to form a funnel while Coach Hedge told them to go inside. Coach, Jason, Piper, Leo, Dylan, and I were the last ones when the doors slammed shut. All the children who were locked in pounded on the doors while Piper tried to pull them open.

"Dylan, help!" Piper pleaded as Dylan stood there with an idiotic grin.

"Sorry Piper, I'm done helping," He said.

"Yeah, well if you're done helping, you'll be a little spot on the canyon floor," I growled.

The winds started to swirl around him as my hands started to smoke. I sent a blast of fire Dylan's way before he threw me off the side along with Leo on the other side of the platform. Great! Now _I'll_ be the one dead at the bottom of the canyon.

I tried desperately to make my hands act as mini rockets to launch me. Sadly, the wind blew the fire out each time I tried. For the first time in my life, I screamed like any other person about to meet the ground head-on. Through all of the terror, I felt scared to death, and I was close to it as I hit the hard ground with a sickening crack. Only later did I realize that it wasn't me who was broken. Slowly, but surely, I woke up with Leo, Piper, Jason, and two people I didn't recognize.

"What happened?" I asked, mystified. I didn't really care if I looked weak, because I just fell hundreds of feet to hard rock.

"Y-you fell and you were surrounded in flames when you touched the ground!" Leo exclaimed, clearly worried.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Did anything interesting happen?" I questioned while getting up. Perhaps I was just not paying any attention, but my hair was still on fire and I had no scratch or bruise on me.

"These two," Jason gestured to the newcomers, "Came here in a chariot pulled by pegsi."

"I've seen more impressive things, although I would love to get out of here," I sighed.

"Nothing about this is strange to you?" Piper asked.

"Nope, it's only the story of my life," I grinned in reply. Leo let off an idiotic grin, like he was about to make the canyon fill with cotton candy.

"Oh well, we have to get back before the storm spirits decide to finish what they started," The blond girl sighed.

"Okay," I shrugged.

Let's just say I didn't exactly believe them when they said pegsi. A winged horse isn't supposed to exist, let alone _two_. The shocked look on my face must've been priceless when I saw them. Yeah, my life is weird, but how many other people see things like this? I don't even want to describe how many times the horses tried to kick me as I climbed in.

I didn't know horses hated my guts.


	3. Note

I seem to have misplaced my USB, so until I find it (I swear it was on my desk an hour ago) no stories will be updated. This will be posted on each and every one of my stories. These notes will be deleted as soon as I find my USB. I probably will find it in the morning, but in my room, it eats things, so I might not see it for a month if I'm too unlucky.

Sorry for the inconvenience my few readers!

~R.A.N.~


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